Archive for the ‘ Culture clash ’ Category
What you don't know CAN hurt you.
Jamel Debbouze in Amelie
When I saw Amelie in 2001, I loved Jamel Debbouze’s character, Lucien. He overcame the barriers presented to him, and ended up running the fruit and vegetable stall where he had previously been abused and oppressed by the owner for being disabled and for being of a different race. It nearly made me cry, when he was being slapped by the manager. My emotional reaction was a hint that I needed to do something.
Changing Your Language, Changing Your Life
Whether you’re working to rescue animals or simply to improve the world, there’s a vocabulary around what you do.
There’s a measure of educating the community in nonprofit, charity and cause related marketing. You tell people what you do, and you tell them why they should care. But have you ever thought about going further, and starting a movement, educating an entire group about the ideas behind what you do?
Isn’t it time we started to talk among ourselves about the ideas that make us get up and go to work every day?
Myth of the Naked African Child: When Your Donations Hurt
One thing I learned when I was volunteering at nonprofits overseas is that people don’t necessarily need what you think they need.
Why does your nonprofit fail to accomplish its mission? 3 reasons.
1. Status Quo Culture A status quo culture, which means nobody striving for more efficient and effective activity. Because their salaries are not tied to actually solving the problem, in any way. Nor are salaries tied to how much money they raise. Nor are salaries tied to any measure of client satisfaction or employee satisfaction. [...]
What's your favorite color? And other donor get-to-know you questions
Get to KNOW your Donors! You are not in the fundraising business! You are in the relationship business! Ask open-ended questions. Be polite. If they respond with one word or monosyllabic answers, it’s not personal. They’re probably just in a hurry, or want to talk to someone else. Quick questions to ask a donor when [...]
Is your nonprofit stifling you?
Do you come to work with a sigh?
Do you daydream about working at other nonprofits, or getting out of the field entirely?
Do you seem to have lost your motivation?
Do you search for other jobs at work?
The Fundraising Fog of War
What are you assuming about your donors? About your members and constituents? What are you assuming about the culture of people you are helping, versus the people you ask for support?
What Copenhagen can teach us about power
With the climate talks in Copenhagen happening this week, and the police brutality against the protesters, it leads me to think about conflict and getting through to people in power. Ever had a situation in your nonprofit workplace where it seemed like you couldn’t get through to someone in power? What did you do? What [...]
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